


Collisions of the Past (Whumptober 2020)

by CoffeeQuills



Category: Ghost Hunt
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Multi, Poison, Protectiveness, Self-Sacrifice, Team as Family, Whumptober
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:15:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26745730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeQuills/pseuds/CoffeeQuills
Summary: SPR has been called out to investigate hauntings from the war on Ike-jima, reported by the only remaining caretaker on the small island. She's heard voices in the dark, seen shadows moving where none should be, and has been reminded of the past from collected pockets of smells. From the beginning, the team is hit with accident after accident after accident... and by the time someone realizes that nothing is as it seems, it might be too late for one very protective monk. [Written for Whumptober 2020 w/whumping focused on Houshou]
Relationships: John Brown/Hara Masako, Matsuzaki Ayako/Takigawa Houshou, Oliver Davis/Taniyama Mai
Kudos: 2
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Sometimes We Fall (Alt. #2 Falling)

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt in any way, shape, or form. I just like to play with the characters.
> 
> General Notes: Ike-Jima is an island of my own creation, very much based on Ōkunoshima (Rabbit Island). While I was lucky enough to visit the Poison Gas Museum and see several of the original buildings still standing, I needed a different place for SPR to go (fewer rabbits, for one thing). The original characters and situations I write in this story are not based on any real-life people or events that I know of. 
> 
> Warnings: Every single chapter will contain themes/prompts based on the 2020 Whumptober. I'll write in the chapter title what the theme/prompt is, however this is your warning that this fiction is going to contain an awful lot of blood, gore, and graphic descriptions of injuries.

Wednesday, Late Afternoon - On a Ferry to Ike-Jima

* * *

 _The water looks freezing_. 

Houshou followed the ripples made by the ferry, watching as they were overtaken by the larger waves generated by the sea.

 _And from the dark blue-green comes white froth, interestingly._ The mixture of colors was soothing, a never-ending battle between light and dark. 

_A bit like us, I suppose._ He smiled as thoughts of his team popped into his head.

“What’s on your mind?” 

_Huh... I’d have placed money on any of the others interrupting my quiet time._

Houshou turned to Naru, the smile turning into a nod.

“Just thinking about how the darker sea changes.” He noted how his boss’s eyes flickered to the side. “Different from the mountain, that’s all. Sure, we had waterfalls, but growing up I never thought that the ocean could have the same movement as rivers and streams.” 

_Never really thought I’d get away for long enough to see the similarities. When a person’s new to an area, all they usually find are the differences._

“Some things in life, the more they look similar, the more alike we believe them to be.” Naru’s dark eyes left the water and bored into Houshou’s. “There are numerous poems and stories that talk about the lure of water, and even more that paint depths as sirens, calling people to jump into a welcoming void. I find that the ocean is just one of many, no matter that we can stand on the ground in several places.” 

“There are small truths in everything. Thinking about it, rip tides in the ocean probably feel the same as river currents…” Houshou let the word trail off. “But I doubt you came here to talk philosophy with me.” 

_Or even if you did, there’s probably something on your mind that you wish to talk about._

“Our new case.” Naru shrugged. “There’s not much else to think about, for the time being at least.” 

_Yeah. Maybe that’s why my thoughts are being dragged by the waters._

“Why exactly are we heading to Ike-Jima again?” asked Houshou, leaning further over the side of the ferry. He watched sunlight sparkle off of the water down below and took another deep breath of the air; such a different taste than Tokyo’s. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love having an excuse to go to Hiroshima. The food here is beyond delicious. But you pulled me away from practice so quickly I didn’t get a chance to ask about the details, and I’ve been checking, but you haven’t emailed them.”

Next to him, Naru took a place at the rail, black hair fluffing about in the wind. For a few seconds he didn’t answer, captured by the emerging island shore in front of them. 

_More fascinated by the mystery awaiting us on land than any the sea has hidden._

“I was going to inform everyone when we arrived since there wasn’t enough to put into an email. And I should have communicated better that the timing of the case was less an emergency and more a matter of catching transportation.” He brushed his bangs out of his face. It was a futile gesture, and the strands whipped right back to where they had been. “She said she’d seen us in the newspaper, couldn’t remember when or where, only that we had solved a haunting.”

“So she called us.” Houshou turned around and leaned against the bar, tilting his head back to enjoy the sunlight fully. After the last few rainy Tokyo days, and with the whole city matching their moods to the nasty weather, his mind and body needed to soak up some rays. 

_Take a small vacation from problems old._

“And the situation is?” 

“She says the island is haunted by ghosts from the war.” 

“Sounded very familiar,” said Mai, waving hello to Houshou as she put herself between the two of them. “Gave me déjà vu when I took the phone call.”

_Mai’s right... that does sound familiar._

Houshou snapped his fingers. 

“Our beginning!” He turned to Mai. “The case that started all of this, your friend claiming that your school building was haunted by spirits who died in the war.” 

“Not really my friend,” muttered Mai, rolling her eyes. “More of a classmate... an annoying one at that.” 

_Heh. And we were all annoying each other as well. Except for Naru, none of us believed in Ayako. Lin was hurting because of that broken leg. John’s Kansai-ben made him sound like a rural hick, and Mai’s only attribute seemed to be getting into trouble. And we all thought Masako was a stuck-up ice-princess._

“Is there a school that we’re checking out?” asked John, stepping out of a nearby doorway. He shut it carefully behind him, then walked to where the others were with his hands held out for balance. Houshou and Mai burst out laughing at the sight, the two of them hanging onto each other. “What? I’m not on boats often enough to have a sense of balance.”

“And it’s a little harder to keep upright when the waves continue to smash into the side of the ferry,” added Ayako. She teetered, then leaned against the doorway before she overbalanced. 

_I hope she’s got better shoes than those._

The red heels looked as if they would fall apart the moment the wearer needed to run.

“Maybe if you didn’t wear high heels,” teased Houshou, stepping forward and offering his arm to the priestess. She made a face at him, but readily grabbed hold and hung on as they made their way back to the gathering group. “Seriously though, flats. Or simple shoes, those would be better.” 

“I look nicer in heels.” 

“You’d look prettier in flats.” Houshou blushed as Ayako arched an eyebrow at him. 

_Shit! I didn’t mean to say that! Um..._

“And I wouldn’t have to be hauling extra weight around,” he added, already anticipating the punch. Sure enough, as soon as the last word left his lips her smile turned into a scowl and she slugged him in the arm.

_Worth it if she forgets._

On the other hand, judging from Mai’s gleeful face and the narrowed eyes of Osamu as their researcher walked up to them from the side, he wouldn’t be allowed to forget that careless slip for the next few days. 

“We’re missing Masako and Lin,” Houshou noted, changing the subject again. Ayako transferred her death grip to the rail and the monk discreetly massaged his forearm. 

_I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t bruise._

“Lin’s doing some work for me inside and Masako is keeping to the center of the ship in an effort to halt the nausea.” 

“I gave her some sea sickness medicine,” said Ayako, leaning over so that she could peer at Naru. “It would have been better if she’d taken it beforehand, but she didn’t tell me when the feeling first started.”

_Nobody likes to admit weakness._

Naru nodded. 

“Lin already knows what I’m about to say, so one of you will have to fill Masako in later.” His eyes locked onto Mai. “When you two make your room up at the inn.” 

The kid nodded.

_Woman, Houshou. She and Osamu are in university, they’re of age now... though I guess with me, Ayako, and Lin being the eldest, the rest of ‘em will always be kids._

“First of all, thank you all for coming out here. I received a call from Mori-san this morning, and she insisted that she needed our services immediately. As of yesterday, she’s the only remaining caretaker on Ike-Jima, where she lives full time with her elderly father. He’s ninety-eight years old and was a soldier on the island during World War II.” 

“Wow,” whispered Osamu, pushing his glasses up. “I wonder what he saw? Or did.” 

_Probably too much of both._

“Do you think he’ll talk about it?” Mai asked. “My professor at university is currently researching what happened to children who became orphans during the war, he might know something that could help.”

“If he does, he does.” Ayako’s voice was firm as she split a glare between them. “And if he doesn’t want to talk about it, then neither of you are to bring the subject up. A lot of the elderly that go to my hospital don’t wish to talk about those years and I’d rather not have bad memories brought up.” 

_That sounds a bit personal... I wonder if she made that mistake when she was younger and got into trouble for it?”_

The two SPR members turned to her, read the look on her face, and nodded.

“Moving on,” continued Naru. “For the past few months there have supposedly been voices in the dark, shadows moving where none should be, and smells in the air that reminded her of how it was growing up during the war.” 

“If he’s in his nineties, how old is she?” Mai whispered to Osamu. 

“She’s in her eighties.” Naru fixed her with a glance. “Any more questions that have nothing to do with our case?” 

Mai shook her head and Houshou bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing. 

“Why do you say ‘supposedly’?” John’s question erased the irateness from Naru’s face. 

_Always the peacekeeper, our John._ He gave a quick nod to the Australian, a thanks for the man’s efforts, and received a beaming smile in response. _Glad to have him at my back._

He half-listened to Naru’s explanation, taking the time to focus on his frie—, no, his family. 

_Because that’s exactly what this weird, kooky, strange bunch are. Family._

“...she’s the only person to have these problems. I called the other people who have left and they all had different reasons. That they left because their children live elsewhere, that there are no jobs there, and one older gentleman complained that the lack of internet meant he couldn’t download pornography on his computer.” 

There was a burst of laughter at the honest old man’s answer, along with a few scattered ews.

_If no one’s living there though..._

“What’s she the caretaker of?” 

Naru stared at Houshou. 

“Don’t you remember your history?” 

“Of Ike-jima?” He frowned. “Not really? I mean, I can assume it was doing something to help out with the war effort, like Gunkanjima and Usagi-jima did.” 

“Correct.” Naru cocked his head to think about it. “More like Ōkunoshima than Hashima.” 

Osamu nodded. 

“One of my friends in high school was a huge World War II nut. He’d plan his summer vacations to see old facilities, museums, all that stuff. Hashima, also known as Gunkanjima, was a trip he had to keep putting off because the ferries only run during certain times of the year, but he pleaded with Noda-san, our history teacher, and was able to convince the school that he should be allowed to take a trip there after sitting university exams. Ōkunoshima, or Usagi-jima as it’s known, was a place we visited during our field trip during Hiroshima.” 

“What’s the difference between the two?” asked John. “They both trained soldiers, right?” 

Osamu shook his head. 

“Both islands concentrated on gathering and creating the resources needed during the war.” He cleared his throat and pressed his lips together. “Hashima was where the government forced conscripted Korean civilians and Chinese prisoners of war to mine coal from the seabed. Ōkunoshima was the location of a poison gas factory that produced mustard gas and tear gas for the war. There’s a museum there with items donated by families who were exposed to all those chemicals and harsh working conditions, and pictures of what the gases do to human bodies.” 

John blinked, opened his mouth, closed it, then repeated the action. His lips twisted as if he’d bitten into something sour. 

_Probably disgusted at how much hurt and pain humans have given to other humans._

“Ah. Thank you for the history lesson.” 

Osamu nodded, then looked back to Naru. 

“And since you couldn’t figure out if it was true or not, you brought us all out here.” Ayako caught her flyaway hair and held it in her hand. 

_To make sure we have the correct tools at hand to take care of the problem._

“Yes.” 

“Fair enough,” said Houshou. “We’ve got about ten minutes before we dock, so if there’s anything else you need to share with us...” 

Naru shook his head. 

“Nothing. My knowledge is that there’s no one else living on the island and that there will be a few more obstacles thrown at us in the way of limited electricity, little to no signal for our phones. Other problems like that.”

Osamu and Mai both made faces, but Ayako and John smiled. 

“What are you two smiling about?” asked Houshou. “Means our phones might be next to useless.” 

“We’ll still be able to take photos. It’ll just... be nice to turn off for a little bit. Stop getting all those SMS messages from NTT, Docomo, and LINE.” 

“And I love my church family, but it would be good for them not to have me around for a while,” agreed John. “They have a distressing tendency to ask me for help before they try to fix things for themselves first.”

_Okay, I can agree that I’ll be nice not to get drunk messages from the band in the early morning, but with no one else to turn to for help, I’d like to have a stable line of communication._

“I don’t like it either.” 

Houshou turned to Naru, nodding at the younger man’s statement. 

“If I had known about the phones in enough time, I would have found a solution. Short-range radios for instance.” He took a step toward the middle of the ferry. “I’m going to check on Lin.”

“See you when we disembark!” Mai waved. 

“You’ve got all your stuff out here already?”

“Since we’re the only ones here and all of our items are going to the same place, one of the ferrymen offered to take our stuff with him when he gets off,” John explained. 

“I’m going to head to the front,” said Houshou, pushing off of the railing. “Better view-”

_Fuck!_

His words cut off as his foot slipped out from under him on the deck. With a sickening lurch Houshou felt his whole body move backward, the railing’s topmost iron bar pressing painfully against his back. 

_Thank fuck that was there!_

“Bou-san!” 

Then, before he could move, there was a sharp crack. The pressure loosened. Houshou let out a cry, reaching out for his family’s hands as gravity dropped him, a stone tumbling into the ocean. 


	2. Such Wow. Many Normal. Very Ooops. (Whump #28 - Accidents & Alt #12- Water)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Drowning & normal injuries 
> 
> Note: My Number is a card every person living in Japan is supposed to have that will help them "quickly" fill out government paperwork and medical information. It was recently created, and not many people like it.

* * *

Wednesday, Late Afternoon - In Ike-Jima's Ocean

* * *

Water, water, everywhere. Houshou opened his eyes and instantly they began itching. Shutting them didn’t help, and now they felt as if they were on fire. Even worse, the brief moment of smudged vision didn’t tell him which direction was up. 

_Where...?_

He kicked, legs and feet heavy through the water, and moved up what felt to be a few centimeters... then dropped at least triple that. 

_I’m going to drown_. 

An ember lit up inside his chest, complete with the tickling feeling that meant he wanted to cough.

 _I fell and hit the surface_ Houshou remembered, shuddering. _Must have knocked most of the air out of my lungs._

A few bubbles slipped from his lips… a reminder of his current fate if he didn’t do something. 

_No!_

He covered his mouth and nose with his left hand, squeezing hard enough that the pinch hurt. The good news was that it also helped wake up his brain; the bad news was that it only helped him realize how much trouble he was in.

_Kick Houshou!_

He put more effort into it this time, even though it was trying to swim through mud, and as his lungs went from smoldering to burning. One final burst and his head broke the surface. 

“—shou! There! Over there!” 

“Hang on!” 

“Bou!!”

_They’re calling me._

He opened his mouth to call back and got a face full of water for his troubles, choking on it even as his body started to sink again. Something white flashed near him. 

_What was that?_

“Grab the lifesaver!” 

He reached for it, shirt clinging to him and trying to bring his arm down. Fingertips grazed the surface. Slipped away when they couldn’t latch on. Then he went back under, taking a last desperate breath as the water washed over his face.

_Fuck!_

Houshou tried kicking again, but this time he wasn’t able to get any higher. His sneakers were made of lead, taking him down, down, down to darkness that pressed against him, squeezing his lungs, his head, his whole body...

Something grabbed his arm. 

_Wha-?_

He blinked to see what it was, but only saw a black shadow against a lighter grey. Something attached itself to his other arm, and then he stopped. 

_help_

His arms strained against his weight, but slowly, Houshou started going up. He broke the surface again, and this time he latched on to the lifesaver, the two people bobbing in the waves next to him draping his heavy limbs over the floatation device. Loud sounds boomed near his ears and he jerked away, caught against by steel hands before he slipped off. 

“…LL US!” 

Houshou groaned. His left hand was pried off and something yellow flashed nearby; then action was repeated with the other side. Finally, an older man was in front of him and tugging something around his body. 

“READY! 

_loud... too loud_

The sound sent spikes of pain into his head.

He began to move though, slicing through the water in a smooth, easy way. The other two shadows _people_ his brain supplied, stayed on either side of him, making sure he didn’t let go. When they were closer to the back of the boat, they slowed down a little bit.

“HOLD ON!” 

A stronger yank, a few brief moments dangling in the air, and then he was laid out flat, the rough bottom scraping against his cheek. 

“Houshou!” The sun grew redder for a few seconds, and then his swimming vision picked up on who was looking over him. 

“Aya...” he groaned, turning onto his side and vomiting into a conveniently placed bucket. Ayako was holding it. 

_thank you_

“There you go... get it out, get it all out. Drinking sea water’s not good for you.” 

“Your guy gonna be okay?”

“We’re checking on him right now.”

Bit by bit his senses came back. Ayako was on her knees in front of him, the blue bucket in possession of a new holder, John, who kept wiping tears away from his eyes. 

“Sor...sorry.” Houshou said, his teeth chattering. The sunlight from before had slipped behind the cloud and he was growing colder by the second. 

_I feel it was warmer in the water._

“Hush. Not your fault.” Ayako’s fingers cradled his head. “What hurts the most?” 

_Chest? Throat? Lungs? Head?_

He tried to dredge the words up from his brain, but struggled putting them into any semblance of order. Everything going on around him didn’t help.

“Thank you so much for jumping in after him!”

“Part of our job, though we haven’t had a man overboard for years now.”

There were more words, more feelings and emotions, but Houshou gave up trying to follow the other conversation.

_Just focus on Ayako for the moment._

“Did you hit your head?” 

He nodded, then moaned. 

“Don’t move,” came the instruction. “Give me a long blink for yes.” 

Her hand began to caress his head, starting from the base near his neck and gently, carefully, weaving their way up and to the sides.

_Feels nice…_

“Is Bou-san okay?” 

“How’s your friend doing?” 

“What’s your diagnosis? Do we need to take him to a hospital?”

“Oh my god I can’t believe we almost lost him like that!”

“How are you feeling?” 

_Answer her._

Brown eyes stared down at him, as warm and inviting as a cup of cocoa. His eyes traced over her face, taking in how her long red bangs were dangling down, the concern manifesting in the crease between her brows, and how her lips were thin, even with the lipstick she used, since they were pressed together as she scrutinized him.

She noticed him watching her and smiled.

_I’m lucky._

“Better,” he croaked, a shaky hand settling on his throat. There was a loud cheer from everyone around him, and he winced, drawing back from the noise. Ayako performed a few more tests, such as having each of his eyes follow her moving finger, and gave his arm a squeeze of relief before standing up.

“Good,” she whispered back. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that.”

She turned to face the crowd, clearing her throat.

“In answer to your question, Naru, Houshou should be fine. I’d like to keep a close eye on him of course, and make sure that no breathing problems pop up. But nothing’s broken, thankfully, and it doesn’t look as if he has a concussion.”

_Come on monk._

Naru had that look on his face, the poker look that meant he was thinking about something and didn’t want the others to know. The one that usually spelled trouble.

_Do something, or he’ll send you to a hospital._

“I’m all right,” said Houshou, rolling over onto his back. “Just... outta energy.”

_Sky looks nice from here._

He thought back to how the waves had covered him and shuddered. 

“An’ cold.” 

“I’ll go get some spares from his suitcase,” offered Osamu, sliding to the edge of the group and taking off. 

“Um, I’ll get everything out of your pockets,” said Mai, squatting down next to Houshou. “I’m so glad you’re not hurt!” 

_‘Not hurt’ is a generous term._

“Me too,” he said, grinning. Mai pulled his wallet out first, then his phone. “Oooh...”

_Dammit._

“Dead?” he asked, noting the nod from Naru. 

“I guess it’s a good thing that there’s no reception on the island.” Mai paused. “And at least your wallet can be dried?” 

_True... I don’t want to go through all the paperwork for a My Number card again. Annoying enough in the first place._

“Take hold.” 

Houshou looked up to see Lin above him, stretching out a hand. 

“Thought you were elsewhere?” He grabbed it, grunting a little as the Hongkonger helped him into a sitting position. His remark got an arched eyebrow. 

“Where else would I be in an emergency? We didn’t know if the ferry staff would be able to reach you in time, and we thought—” he broke off and looked to the side. Where Naru was glaring at the sea. Houshou’s late-to-the-party brain supplied the missing end.

 _We thought we would only get your body_. 

“Can’t get rid of me that easily,” said Houshou, trying to lighten the mood. He stood up, leaning a bit on Lin when he felt lightheaded. Someone else’s shoulder came up under his left side, one belonging to a person with blonde hair and shining blue eyes. 

“Thanks John.” 

“It’s a bribe,” the priest replied, one eye closing in a wink. “I’ll help you with your clothes if you promise never to do that again.” 

“Wasn’t trying to take a swim earlier, but sure.” Houshou returned the wink. “So it’s a deal.”

“Good,” said Naru. He stopped in front of the trio. “Change, and be ready to disembark. I’m going to make sure our transportation is ready for us.” 

“Bou-san, I’ll keep hold of your wallet,” Mai said, waving it at him. “And your phone. I’m sure Masako or Ayako brought a hairdryer, and that’ll be better than trying to sun dry it.” 

He nodded at that and tried to stand up straighter, which resulted in both Lin and John moving so that they were supporting him. 

“Right, let’s go see Osamu about getting you out of those sopping wet things,” said John, taking a step forward. Houshou kept walking, and after a few steps it finally felt as if he was getting his limbs back under control. 

* * *

Wednesday, Late Afternoon - Ike-Jima's Pier

* * *

It took more time, an extra ten to fifteen minutes, for the ferry to dock and for SPR to group together at the road leading away from the water. The first view of the island wasn’t really what Houshou had been expecting. There was one small building, an ugly, squat concrete building, and that was it. In the tiny parking lot idled a mini-bus, the side painted in blue and white stripes, and that was the last of anything man-made.

 _No conbinis, no supermarkets… how do these people do their shopping?_ His brain chased that. _Though… do they need to go shopping? Maybe they don’t eat dairy here._

“You sure you’re okay?” whispered Mai. Houshou nodded at her. 

“Just thinking about there being no convenience stores to grab a midnight snack from. Or coffee.”

_Please tell me there’s coffee here!_

“Thanks for keeping my things. Maybe, if I can put my phone in a bag of rice, it’ll start working again.” 

“Good afternoon Mori-san.” 

“She looks like a picture of what a farmer’s mother should aspire to be,” whispered Osamu. “From an encyclopedia article.” 

Mai and Houshou’s heads swiveled to catch a glimpse of the caretaker that had called them all the way out here. She was, as Naru had mentioned, in her older years. Straight bangs, white hair braided in two plaits that hung to her shoulders, and a neat, dark brown outfit that had several spots mended with black thread. Her face was tanned and there were plenty of laugh lines, or to be honest, lines in general. 

“Let’s go see what the problem is,” said Houshou, taking a step forward. His left foot snagged on something and he fell onto the wooded pier with a curse. 

_Son of a bitch!_

This was not his day. He gingerly prodded his knee. When it complained, but didn’t move as if it was dislocated or broken, he hefted himself up. The monk found that Naru, Mori-san, and most of the others were watching him. 

“What?” he asked

“One scare was enough for today,” came Naru’s dry reply. “So please try to keep both feet firmly on the ground.” 

Houshou nodded, and when his face was hidden from view, rolled his eyes. 

_I’m not a child, I’m an adult._

“I’ve got some plasters if you need them.” 

He checked his legs, then his hands. 

“Please,” he said, noticing a smear of red along his palm. Ayako came over and pulled one from her purse, crinkling the trash and shoving it back in after she covered the scrape.

“Be careful.” 

“I will,” he said, straightening up. A few steps forward, a small stretch to pop his back… and let out a yelp of pain as his head hit something. Naru shot him a glare and he bit his lip, tears of frustration building up. 

_Fine, maybe I didn’t see that. I’m just... still shaken after what happened earlier._ He let out a small huff. _And isn’t that the truth too?_

Ayako moved next to him and Osamu joined her on the other side, the younger man clearly worried. 

_Thankfully I’ve got family to back me up._

“You are a mess, aren’t you?” asked Ayako, her voice low. “Do you think you can make it to where we’re staying?” 

He nodded. 

_Ow… that wasn’t my best decision._

The three of them began to move their way to the bus that was idling at the end of the road. 

“If she’s the only person living here,” said John, looking around, “why is there a bus?”

“It was left behind and it still works.” Mori-san stepped up next to them, giving John a dirty look. “What do you think we had when there were still families here? Each of us driving around our own vehicle? Do you think we’re rich?”

The blonde’s face went red. 

“No disrespect meant ma’am.”

“None taken boy.” She glared at him. 

_A bad liar? Or someone who just mouths the words?_

“You.” She stopped before Houshou and looked up at him. “You were in the photo, along with that other boy—” she stopped and motioned to Naru, “and that girl.” Mai was generously included in the gesture. 

“I don’t remember which photo you might be talking about,” Houshou said, “but there have been several taken of Naru, Mai, and myself.” 

“That’s fine boy. I don’t remember what you did except that it was ghost hunting, and that’s exactly what I need you for.” She turned away and began to walk to the bus, her left leg staying on the ground a bit longer than the right. 

_Wonder why she limps..._ He dismissed the thought. Together, the group made their way onto the bus, Ayako and Houshou settling in the wider back seat. Mai and Masako settled down on the right, followed by John and Osamu, who sat on the left. Finally, Lin took the window seat, Naru sat across from him, and Mori-san hefted herself into the higher driver’s seat. 

“While we’re driving there, could you tell us more about what you’ve seen and heard,” asked Naru.

“And smelled!” 

“And smelled,” added Naru, nodding at Mai. The old woman hmphed at him. She turned in the front seat and held eye contact with each of them, using the rearview mirror, as the bus started up and lurched onto the narrow street. 

“It started about three weeks ago.” She took a deep breath. “I was getting firewood to cook dinner when something skittered in front of the bus’s headlights. And before you insult my intelligence, it wasn’t a wild creature.”

Masako didn’t look at Mai as the brunette whispered something to her. 

“The day after that, I heard screams.” Mori-san paused. “Long wails of pain and suffering. Nothing from an animal, from humans. And since there is no one else on the island except for my father and myself, it had to have come from ghosts!”

The road they made a right onto paralleled the sea, and the white waves crashing against the shore made a stone drop into Houshou’s stomach. 

_I almost died…_

He turned his back to the window, hoping that would quell the rising feeling of nausea. 

_I don’t need any reminders._

The monk stretched his legs, trying to find a way of sitting that wouldn’t cut off his circulation. They went under the seat in front of him and right into the metal heater. It clanged and drew everyone’s attention to him. 

“Sorry!” he apologized. 

“The final straw was when I was taking my morning walk. After going down by the river and stopping at the small lake, I could smell it on the air.” 

“Smell what?” asked Mai, raising her hand. 

“Poison.” 

The word dropped like a bomb; there was only the noise of the engine chugging. 

_That’s... not something I would wish on anyone._

He glanced at John.

“You wouldn’t know what that scent is, but once you’ve experienced it, it’s not something to be forgotten.” 

“I’m sure it’s not Mori-san,” Naru said, nodding. “If you could show us where each of those situations happened, we would like to check the surrounding areas.” 

“What do you think we’re going to do about the equipment?” 

_I don’t remember needing to carry it…_

“I don’t think we brought it,” Osamu leaned forward to whisper to Mai. “And with the lack of electricity, that’s probably the best thing.” 

Houshou tried to listen to the conversation, but his head began to nod.

“Don’t worry,” said Ayako, putting her hand on his leg. “If you fall asleep, I’ll wake you at the house. You don’t have a headache, right?”

“No.”

“Then sleep if you want, and if you need to, I’ll tell Naru to let you have a short nap. Hopefully that’ll help you feel better.” 


	3. Toto, I Have a Feeling We're Not in Kansa Anymore (Whump #20 - Lost)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Lost, trapped. 
> 
> Note: These first few chapters are simply setting the story, the whumping is going to get much harder, faster, and bloodier as this continues.

* * *

WEDNESDAY 18:45 ~ MORI-SAN's HOUSE

* * *

Houshou woke up, confused for a few minutes about how dark it was.

“That’s right,” he muttered to himself as he took in the blank room. “We’re in a valley.”

_Which means that the sunlight is sporadic, not that it’s several hours towards dawn._

He sat up and stretched, wincing as his neck cracked. 

_Feeling better at any rate, after that nap._ The warm blanket was pushed away, and he grabbed a pair of socks that were waiting at the side of the futon. _Who put these out for me?_

They were his, and he felt much more himself when he put on an orange t-shirt that had Playing Cowboys written across it, the font braided to look like a lasso. 

“I’m in Mori-san’s house,” he reminded himself. “On Ike-jima. We got here earlier today… I need to figure out what time it is.”

There had been an old house, bigger than he thought it had any right to be and with enough rooms for everyone to have their own room, though they hadn’t taken Mori-san up on the offer. Each of them had paired off with a room partner, both Osamu and John being. 

_Us and the women bunking three in one room, with Lin and Naru together. Better for Mai to have someone nearby, and I think all of our past cases have made the rest of us a little wary about being on our own. This place though... I doubt it started life as a house for one family. If it did, then they must have been top government officials._

He couldn’t hear Naru ordering, or Osamu explaining something to the others. It was quiet. Too quiet if nine other people were supposed to be in the house.

_Now, to figure out where everyone is._

His footsteps echoed, each followed by creaks and groans from the wooden floor, and his eyes took in all the details he’d missed earlier. Scratches on the walls; gouges in the door frames. Paint that cracked in several places, and at a few higher corners had possibly molded; he didn’t get too close to those areas. 

“What **was** this place?” he wondered aloud, stopping in front of a picture. It was a young man and a woman, sitting together and holding babies in their left arms. The one on the right was older, eyes focusing on whoever was taking the photograph, and the one on the left was held closer to the adult’s body, too young to be trusted with too much space.

“Home.” Came a soft voice from behind him. Houshou turned around, arm in front of himself to guard against... an elderly, white-haired man leaning on a cane. 

“Ah, my apologies Mori-san,” the monk said instead, turning the defensive position into a bow. “I hope I wasn’t disturbing you?” 

“No more than everyone else,” he said, waving a hand about. Dark eyes, almost black, glittered at him in the light. “You’re part of the group that was here earlier.” 

_We’re the only other people on the island, so what other group would I be from?_

“Yes, I’m Takigawa Houshou, a monk from Mt. Koya.” There wasn’t the usual flicker of knowledge on the man’s face. “In Wakayama prefecture.” 

“We used to have a temple here, but the monks never really stayed.” There was a huge sigh. “Not during the war, and certainly not after it.” 

_That’s strange... we can ask to be considered for locations now, but it wasn’t always that relaxed. If my father had been told to go somewhere, he wouldn’t have returned until commanded, same with my grandfather._

“We seem to be the only people here,” Houshou continued, a brief glance around showing mended cushions, an old kotatsu, and open cabinets full of books. There was an outline in the middle of the wall that suggested a door had once been there, but had been painted over a while back.

 _Just me and him_. 

“Where did everyone else go?” 

_They probably figured I’d be sleeping the whole time and that I wouldn’t realize they’d left me._

“Hmm...” Mori-san inched forward to where an old, battered couch was pushed against the wall. “My daughter told me where she was taking them. One second. My mind isn’t as fast as it used to be.” 

He settled into the couch, a hand reaching out for an ugly knitted blanket that lay near, misshapen with streaks of blue and brown.

“Okay. There were three places they wanted to go.” Another pause. “First was where she normally gets wood. It’s about a twenty-minute walk if there’s snow since she can sled the wood back, but for now, it’s a drive out. After that, the lake near the river. And she said they might go to the old center.” 

_Them taking a vehicle means that I’m not going to be able to catch up with them. I wonder what the center used to be for?_

“I’ll wait until they get back then,” Houshou said. “Would it be okay if I walk around the house?” 

“The dormitory?” 

_Called it._ Houshou looked around with new eyes. The room they were currently in was long and narrow, very easy to picture groups of men sleeping foot to face on futons. The room he’d woken up in would have been used for a specific purpose, or for the higher-ranking officers. There had been adjustments made of course, with the years gone by.

“Sure, go ahead.” The old man waved him off. “I’ll just be here. Reading.” 

Houshou waved back, then headed back into the hallway. The dull brown walls snaked past three more rooms, then spat him out into the main, wooden entrance of the home. Familiar items, such as slots for shoes and the umbrella stand, warred with what looked to be a museum collection. 

A clock on the wall pointed out that it was almost seven.

 _I must have been really out of it. I don’t remember any of this when we came in_. 

Black and white pictures hung at head height, crammed onto each of the three walls so that they looked as if they’d bring everything crashing down. He moved closer to inspect them. Men in white uniforms working near large metal contraptions, tables with bottles of chemicals on them, and even a large wheel in the background of one area. Another picture was of several families gathered together, unsmiling, at what looked to be a ceremony, though he couldn’t tell what it was for. Then there came gray buildings. And a small incense burner featured in one section, taken so that a graveyard framed it from behind.

_That looks to be the temple._

Finally, hung over the mostly empty shoe slots, there were several pictures of men standing in front of what looked to be the dormitory. Some of them had a slight smile, others outright scowled, but all of them had hard eyes that seared. A mix of items was set on the top piece, old journals, and instruments mixed with newer tools and pieces of equipment.

_I never know what to think about the war. Sure, my senior class had a field trip to the Himeyuri Peace Museum in Okinawa. In junior high we saw the Dome in Hiroshima, went through the Memorial Museum. But we weren’t really old enough to truly understand. We wanted to swim and play on the beaches, not think about the past. And when we grew up, the war was really only mentioned when an anniversary came up._

“Maybe Mai should talk to Mori-san,” Houshou said, stepping down and putting on his sneakers. “See if she can get some information for her teacher.”

_With all these pictures around, it looks like Ayako’s fears about bad memories are unfounded._

Houshou opened the door and stepped out into the cool air. 

“Chillier than I expected, but,” he looked around, noting how high the sides of the valley rose, “makes sense.”

_I won’t go too far, but maybe there’s something around here that will help us figure out what’s going on._

The road was in front of him, and the small bus they’d taken earlier was gone. An old stone wall cut off the property from the road, hemming in the pitted and pot-holed parking lot. While the pavement was swept clean and looked taken care of, all the dead leaves and branches were in piles of varying sizes off to the side, kicked off of the pavement and into the grass. What little he saw of the sky was more grey than blue, cloudy, and there was a visible storm moving in at a fast clip.

“Let’s see what the back of the dormitory has,” Houshou said aloud, putting words to action. The leaves were wet and mushy under his feet, from autumns past and in the process of turning into a fine mulch. 

_Maybe I can get one of the others to come to the temple with me later on,_ he thought, stepping over a pile of weed-ridden debris. It had been something once, mechanical, but now it was rusting and a good place for bugs to make a home. 

The back was different from the front in that there was an entrance to a cave on the right and a dark forest to the left. 

“Would I rather be lost in a cold, creepy cave, or in a damp, dark forest?” A rumble of thunder answered his question. “Right. At least the cave will be dry... and I think I saw a wind-up flashlight earlier?” 

_You could stay in the house and talk with Mori-san,_ his inner voice said. _That would be dry too._

“I could...” his voice trailed off as he entered the dormitory again. There was a flashlight on the stand, almost hidden by a journal with a cracked-red color. Another rumble of thunder sounded, loud enough to rattle the windows. A warning. “Yeah, maybe I should do that.” 

Houshou took off his shoes and walked down to the gathering room again, sliding open the door and leaning in. 

_Or not._

Mori-san was snoring, his breathing shaking the newspaper that was hiding the room’s light from his eyes. 

_Well, that’s a decision made. I can sit here being useless, or I can see if anything’s in the cave._

He backed out, sliding the door back with a soft touch, and tip-toed back to where his shoes were.

“Umbrella and flashlight should be good enough for some quick cave exploration.” Again with the shoes, and then he opened the umbrella at the same time he stepped outside. The thunder had already brought the rain in, nothing too heavy for the moment, just a light pitter-patter sprinkling the ground. Houshou ducked under the umbrella and walked around again, eyeing the cave.

 _I should be able to squeeze in the front._ He pinched the umbrella between his shoulder and neck and popped out the handle to the flashlight, the winding noise overtaking the sound of the storm. After at least twenty cycles, he turned it on and pointed it at the cave. _And the vertical slit looks to open wider after a bit. I’ll be fine._

He closed the umbrella and laid it outside the cave. It was colder inside, especially with the wind blowing. 

“Hello!” Houshou called out, laughing to himself as his voice echoed. There was something about being in a cave that brought back childish desires and a sense of joy. 

_Or as Ayako would say, they never went away_. 

Sucking in his breath to move past a bigger rock, he started exploring, keeping his eyes peeled for anything that didn’t belong here. At the beginning, the ground beneath his feet was mossy, but several steps in and the moss died out, replaced with broken rocks and... his vision flickered. 

_What was that?_

“Nothing’s wrong,” he assured himself, blinking. 

_Probably just an aftereffect from swimming... or from when I hit my head._

He took a step forward, hunching down and shutting off his flashlight. A few rocks near him clattered to the ground. 

“I never told Mori-san where I was going,” he realized. 

_I’ll just send a message_. Houshou reached for his back pocket, then groaned. _Dammit, no phone_. 

The monk inched closer, sniffing in the air. The light was brought back to be a small circle on the tan ground. 

_It smells in here._

A few steps further only made it grow stronger, enough so that he would have sworn his tongue was able to taste an added layer of nastiness. 

_I don’t like this. All my senses are screaming at me to get away_. Chasing that thought was another, smaller one that popped up. _But if you want to run away, then that means you need to stay. Something’s going on here._

He brought his shirt up to cover his mouth and continued onward. Silent steps took him into a low, narrow chamber, and then brought him into an open space. It would have been beautiful if it had been anywhere else. The flashlight shone on light pink crystals, drew gorgeous contrasts between rock made of dark and pale colors, and showed interesting rock sculptures. Instead, his gaze was drawn to the focus of the room. 

“Fuck...” 

Before him were five rusted barrels, each coming up to his chest and leaking a bit, if the ground next to them was any indication. White labels had been slapped onto the side with kanji he’d never seen before. Had never wanted to see before. Poison gas. Houshou coughed, backing away in horror. 

_Out. Now._

He tripped over his foot as he turned around, slamming into the side of the cave and sending a spike of pain through his head. From a distance, he heard something crash, and the ringing in his ears prevented him from discovering where the noise had come from. 

“Cripes monk, stop being such a klutz,” he whispered to himself, pressing tightly against his head. Gritting his teeth, Houshou got to his feet again and froze. Wedged into the gap he’d just come through was a stone taller, wider, and most likely much heavier than him. 

“No…” he breathed, grabbing the flashlight from where it had fallen and clutching it to his chest. He was alone. Trapped in a cave filled with poison gas barrels from War World II. And the only way to get back was now gone. 

_Cave systems can branch out for kilometers._

The idea of being lost, of tunneling around for hours without gaining access to the surface, made him lightheaded. Houshou sat down on the cold ground and put his head between his legs. 

_FUCK!_


	4. Breathe In, Breathe Out (Whump #13 - Chemical Pneumonia & Delayed Drowning)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Breathing problems 
> 
> Note: both prompts Chemical Pneumonia and Delayed Drowning are in here since Houshou doesn't know for certain what's wrong with him.

* * *

_WEDNESDAY UNKNOWN TIME- LOST IN A CAVE_

* * *

_Don’t panic,_ Houshou told himself, still feeling his heart thumping at a pace that would kill a rabbit. _Those barrels have been in here for a long time, they’re probably not harmful anymore_.

And yet there was that garlic-ish smell in the air.

_I need to find a new way out of here. Now_. 

The monk looked back at the blocked-off way he’d come in. The fallen rock was bigger than him, but maybe if he tilted it... 

_It’s not like I have a better idea._

And with that he went over to the rock, keeping his shirt over his face as he tried to move it. It wouldn’t budge. 

_Fuck!_

He leaned into it, his gasps echoing in the small chamber, and still, it didn’t shift. 

“Not from the side,” he muttered to himself, “but maybe from the top?” 

There was a small dip in the rock where his fingers could be jammed; Houshou put his legs on both sides and added pressure from there. 

_I think… was that a cracking sound I heard?_ He kept pulling, moving so that his body was off the ground, held up by a double-handed grip and keeping position with how his feet were placed. _One, two, three!_

Houshou yelped as the top crumbled and he bounced on the ground, rolling a few more centimeters towards the rusted barrels. 

_NO!_

Quickly, he put his feet flat, scrabbled at the ground, and closed his eyes. All movement stopped, and he didn’t feel anything wet. Cautiously opening one eye, he froze when he noticed that a puddle of brown liquid wasn’t far away from his right hand.

_Carefully... carefully... you really don’t want to touch that._

He backed up, getting to his knees and then onto his feet. He took the flashlight again and wound it up, his mind racing.

_Okay, Houshou. There’s no way we’re going to be able to return that way. You’ve got to think of a better plan!_

He put the flashlight on full power, then turned around the room, slowly. There were the five barrels of course, leaking and turning the ground near them a bit muddy. Then there was a natural shelf a little bit to left, with a quick glance showing the dusty tops of a few things... but he would have to get closer to the gas if he wanted to discover what was there. And lean over one of the puddles. 

_Anything helpful?_ He imagined what might have been left in this cave since the forties. Packets of cigarettes? Old clothes? Weapons? _Better to just leave it alone._

And then there was the exit from the room. A sliver of darkness leading beyond. 

_It’s got to lead somewhere_. He refused to imagine what he’d do if it didn’t. 

A step forward bounced the flashlight’s beam against the jagged walls. Several strides later, and happier that those barrels were further behind him, he was rubbing at goosebumps on his arms. The ground sloped downhill, requiring him to lean a little bit backwards so that he wouldn’t trip and fall, and it was growing colder... yet, somehow more stifling? Houshou covered his mouth as he coughed. 

“Ow,” he croaked, rubbing his throat. 

_Is it from the barrels? How long can poison gas last? How much exposure have I had? Too much?_

Houshou stopped and put his back to the cold wall. 

“Calm down,” he told himself in a light voice. “If it was anyone else doing this, you would explain to them that they were working themselves into an unnecessary knot, and that type of thinking only leads to mistakes. Those questions that keep racing through your brain? You don’t know the answers to any of them, and you won’t unless you get out of here.”

He looked around, taking a deep breath at the sound of water plinking to ground somewhere nearby. The familiar taste of garlic was still there. 

“Come on monk, I told you not to worry about it.” His stubborn brain finally broke away from the topic, and he let out a sigh of relief. 

_Don’t think about the fact that no one else knows you’re in here. That you don’t have a phone, or any way to contact them. That you’d die here and they’d never find you._

“Stop it.” His voice replicated in the cave, almost as if to scold him too. 

_Concentrate on your footing, you really don’t want to break something in here._

The floor had finally leveled out a bit, so he took the opportunity to stop and check his shoes. It was the work of a second to retie the laces on the left, but while he was kneeling down, something with many legs skittered across his hands. 

“Get off!” he shouted, flinging it and the flashlight so hard they hit the wall. The light flickered twice, then died in a slowly shrinking circle. “Noooo, no no no. Come on little flashlight, don’t quit on me.” 

Scooping it up, his fingers found a crack in the glass, but nothing anywhere else. 

“There’s no reason for you not to be working,” said Houshou, popping out the arm again and winding it.

_Only that my luck today is absent. Almost drowning this afternoon and now being swallowed by a cave holding dangerous gasses used in war._

After about the tenth or twelfth time he wound it, the light came back. It blinked a few times, then stayed strong.

_Thank you for that blessing._ Houshou let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, coughing at the end of it. As he continued, the path narrowed, forcing him to squeeze past several stalagmites, and then there was a door.

He wiped away the sweat that was running down his forehead, trying to make sense of what he was seeing before him. It was as natural as a door in the middle of a cave could be, made of bamboo fastened together with thick cord, most likely made from other pieces of the plant. 

He coughed again, a dry itching beginning at the back of his throat. 

_That’s not from being near the gas barrels, it’s... it’s probably from swallowing all that seawater. Vomiting it up. And not having anything to drink in here._ The puff of laughter he let out rebounded into the equivalent of a shout. He firmly grasped a protruding piece of the door, and drew it open, having to yank a few times to clear rocks and other debris from the path. 

_No lock? Well, I guess it doesn’t really need one so deep in here._

Houshou ducked under the top and, forced to continue hunching, ended up on his hands and knees, crawling. 

_I just want to get out... let me get out, please, that’s all I ask._

A few more feet into the dimly lit dark, and he sneezed, overpowered by a strong scent that made the earlier garlic pale in comparison. 

_That... that’s not a good sign._

He knew what was out there. Squeezing his eyes shut and steeling himself, he pointed the flashlight in front of him and tried to control his breathing. 

_Can’t go forward if you don’t know what’s there._ He finally told himself. _Three. Two. One._

He forced both eyes open and gasped.

“... hell.” 

The word ripped at his throat and he began coughing, a harsh sound that ended with the faintest taste of copper. 

_Fuck... I’m a dead man walking._

The top of the cave was still pressing him down, which meant that he would need to crawl forward, past at least six barrels that he could count, more unseen if the air was anything to go by. The taste irritated the back of his throat and he started coughing again, each motion sending ragged pain through the affected area.

_I can’t go through there like this._

Houshou backed out of the tunnel and sat down next to the door, closing his eyes and letting the tears fall.

_I’m going to die here, alone, and they’ll never find my body._ He was pretty sure that if Mori-san knew about the barrels back here, they would have been removed already... which meant that he wouldn’t have to crawl between toxic gas. 

“Wait a second...” He snapped his fingers and let out a laugh. It only sounded a little forced. “Those barrels had to come from somewhere, and with how low that tunnel makes me to go, then that means there’s another exit!” 

_Past the barrels._ His mind reminded him. _And I’ll either have to take my shirt off to cover my mouth or go through there without anything..._

An image of the dusty items in the first room came back to him. 

“Shit.” Houshou shook his head and groaned. “I’m going to have to go back, aren’t I?”

He got back to his feet and wound-up the flashlight again, setting off at a rapid pace. It took about fifteen minutes for him to get back to the blocked room, much less time than it had taken him to find the bamboo door since he knew the terrain better. Hitting the shelf with the light, he tried to figure out what was there without getting any closer. 

“Something round, something rectangular, and something with a weird shape,” he muttered to himself. “Fine. I’m going to have to step over there to see for myself.” 

_Please don’t let me step in whatever liquid leaked out,_ he chanted in his head. One foot forward took him to the outermost section, and another, much smaller step brought him nearer to the shelf. Faded black kanji had been written on the journal, there were a few pieces of equipment at the end, and then there was some type of clothing in the middle. 

_If it’s cloth, should I put it around my face? Wouldn’t it have soaked up the gas?_

He reached out for the object, arms wheeling as he overbalanced. 

_Careful, careful... or you’re going to fall into the barrels._ Houshou’s lips curled at the fun thought.

He stretched out on his tiptoes and, using the arm from the flashlight, managed to hook a piece of the clothing. The monk took a step backwards, then another, and let out a sigh of relief that his horrible luck hadn’t extended its streak. 

“Now... to figure out what the hell this...” he stopped talking as he unfolded the cloth and revealed it to be a face mask. There were two glass eye coverings, both of them with cracks running up the middle, one slightly worse than the one, and straps that would latch together at the back of his head. 

_Please tell me I’m not contemplating wearing someone’s gas mask from World War II?!_

“What has my life come to?” he asked himself as he fingered the thick fabric. 

_But... if it’s going to be that or being exposed to even more gas, then I guess I really don’t have a choice._

The thought kept circling his head as he walked back down the slope. It felt sacrilegious, in a weird way. And then Houshou was standing before the gate again, the smell wafting out. 

“I don’t even know if this is going to work,” he grumbled, putting the mask on his head. The flashlight was a lost cause; there was no way to carry it, hold it in his teeth, or even keep it between his neck and shoulder. With a sigh he turned it off, clipped it to a belt loop, and tucked it into a pocket. Then he turned his attention to the mask. There was something missing from the piece, he figured out after adjusting the straps. It would have hooked up at the front, where the longer mouthpiece went. 

_Probably to an oxygen tank._ He thought, getting back down on his hands and knees. Houshou took as deep of a breath as he dared, then held it and crawled forward. Two elbows in and the air felt saturated. Too thick. A single cough trickled out from his throat and set off another, which caused his head to bash into the low ceiling above him. 

“Fuuuuuck that hurt,” he groaned, shutting his eyes and trying to ignore the waves of pain radiating from the spot. 

_All I can do is keep going._ He told himself, legs dragged behind him. _And figure out how long I’m going to be on the floor._

He began counting every time his elbows went forward, and by the time he hit seven he was able to go back to his hands and knees. Ten, and he was crouching. Fifteen steps and he was finally able to stand up straight. 

_That was weird._ Houshou looked back and saw how the room was laid out. There were dozens of barrels to the left and right of him, some of them listing to the side or sitting a little lower than others. Straight though, where he’d just crawled out from, was a natural ledge protruding into the room. It was as if someone had driven a spike of rock sideways, one that had stayed several centimeters off of the ground. More tears welled up in his eyes, and when they began to burn, he tried to rub at them. 

Which shattered the left eye’s lens. Immediately he pulled his fingers away and closed his eye, worried about glass fragments. Doing so also cut down on the number of barrels that he could see. 

_Just what I wanted to worry about. On the other hand..._

“Looks like half my problem is gone,” he snarked, taking a hesitant step forward. It was a bit lighter in here than the previous cave had been, but not enough for him to be comfortable walking forward. He took the flashlight and unhooked it from his belt loop.

_I’ve got to get outside. Somewhere I can take this mask off._ He stumbled forward. _Need to concentrate on depth perception as well, now that I’m down an eye._

Houshou rubbed his chest, trying to dislodge the pain he could feel there, and ended up coughing again, struggling to breathe.

He laid down on the floor and breathed shallowly, trying to catch his breath. The chest pain he’d been trying to dislodge took a sharper turn, feeling more like a knife stabbing him than anything else. 

_Ayako. She’ll know what to do. I just need to get to her._

He coughed, listening to his wheezing lungs echo.

_Five minutes. Just a small rest, and I’ll be able to get up again._


End file.
